Reed Birney (born September 11, 1954) is an American actor. Birney is known for his performances on stage and screen often acting on and off Broadway. Birney gained acclaim in 2016 for his role in The Humans winning the Tony Award for Best Featured Actor in a Play. He was also nominated previously in the same category for his performance in Casa Valentina in 2014.
Reed Birney | |
|---|---|
| Born | September 11, 1954 Alexandria, Virginia, U.S. |
| Education | Boston University |
| Occupation | Actor |
| Years active | 1976–present |
| Spouse | |
| Children | 2, including Gus Birney |
He starred in the films Mass (2021), and The Menu (2022). He is also known for his recurring roles in Gossip Girl (2007–2009), House of Cards (2013–2017), The Blacklist (2014–2015), and Home Before Dark (2021–2022). He has also acted in The Americans, The Handmaid's Tale, and Succession.
Career
editBirney attended the Boston University College of Fine Arts for two years. After moving to New York City, he attended classes sponsored by the National Academy of Television Arts and Sciences.[1]
Birney appeared off-Broadway at Playwrights Horizons in 1976 in Gemini by Albert Innaurato. He has appeared in many plays off-Broadway since, including Bug (2004) and Circle Mirror Transformation (2009).[2]
He has performed on Broadway in Casa Valentina (2014) and The Humans.[3] He appeared in the Annie Baker adaptation of Uncle Vanya at the Soho Rep in 2012. Charles Isherwood in his review for The New York Times wrote: "The indispensable Reed Birney is as vitally moving a Vanya as I’ve yet to see..."[4] He was nominated for the Drama Desk Award, Outstanding Actor in a Play, for Uncle Vanya.[5]
He won the 2016 Tony Award, Best Performance by an Actor in a Featured Role in a Play, for The Humans;[6] the 2014 Drama Desk Award, Outstanding Featured Actor in a Play, for Casa Valentina; and the 2010 Obie Award, Performance, for Circle Mirror Transformation.[7] He received a Special Drama Desk Award in 2011, honoring his career.[8][9]
He appeared off-Broadway in the play by Tracy Letts, Man from Nebraska, which opened in January 2017 in previews at the Second Stage Theatre.[10] From May to October 2017, he starred as O'Brien in the Broadway production of 1984 at the Hudson Theatre.
His television performances include Matthew Lester in Kane & Abel, Mr. Prescott on Gossip Girl, Donald Blythe on the Netflix series House of Cards,[8][11] Tom Connolly in The Blacklist and Dr. Adamson on Titans. He also appeared in Hulu's adaptation of Margaret Atwood's The Handmaid's Tale as Lieutenant Stans.
His movie roles included Louie in Four Friends (1981), the Merchant Prince in A Perfect Murder (1998), Governor Willis in Morning Glory (2010), J. Whitman in The 40-Year-Old Version, Pa in The Hunt (both 2020), Peter Bloom in Strawberry Mansion, and Richard in Mass (both 2021).
Birney is an adjunct assistant professor at Columbia University.[8]
Personal life
editHe is married to actress Constance Shulman, who appears in Orange is the New Black, and they have two children together.[12] Their daughter Gus Birney is also an actor, as is their son, Ephraim.
Acting credits
editFilm
edit| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1976 | Not a Pretty Picture | Fred | Feature film debut |
| 1981 | Four Friends | Louie | |
| 1985 | Crimewave | Vic Ajax | |
| 1998 | A Perfect Murder | Merchant Prince #1 | |
| 2003 | Uptown Girls | Executive | |
| 2007 | The Ten | Jim Stansel | |
| 2008 | Changeling | Mayor Cryer | |
| 2010 | Twelve Thirty | Martin | |
| 2010 | Morning Glory | Governor Willis | |
| 2012 | Girl Most Likely | Dr. Chalmers | |
| 2013 | Molly's Theory of Relativity | Asher | |
| 2013 | Adult World | Todd | |
| 2014 | In Your Eyes | Dr. Maynard | |
| 2015 | Jackrabbit | Paul Bateson | |
| 2015 | Mad Women | Richard | |
| 2019 | The Lost Weekend | Henry | Short film [13] |
| 2020 | The Forty-Year-Old Version | J. Whitman | |
| 2020 | Lost Girls | Peter Hackett | |
| 2020 | The Hunt | Pop | |
| 2021 | Strawberry Mansion | Peter Bloom | |
| 2021 | Mass | Richard | |
| 2022 | Baby Ruby | Dr. Rosenbaum | |
| 2022 | The Menu | Richard Liebbrandt |
Television
edit| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1979 | Eight Is Enough | Steven | Episode: "Mary, He's Married" |
| 1981 | Nurse | Episode: "Margin for Error" | |
| 1983 | 3-2-1 Contact | Wenfield | Episode: "Flight: Flying Animals" |
| 1985 | Kane & Abel | Matthew Lester | 2 episodes |
| 1987 | Beverly Hills Buntz | Larry Fielding | Episode: "Sid and Randy" |
| 1990 | Tales from the Crypt | Paul | Episode: "Mute Witness to Murder" |
| 1992–2010 | Law & Order | Various | 3 episodes |
| 1994 | Another World | Walter Trask | 3 episodes |
| 1994 | American Masters | Actor | Episode: "Tennessee Williams: Orpheus of the American Stage" |
| 1998 | From the Earth to the Moon | John Houbolt | Episode: "Spider" |
| 2000 | Law & Order: Special Victims Unit | Harry Waters | Episode: "Chat Room" |
| 2002 | The Education of Max Bickford | Todd | Episode: "Money Changes Everything" |
| 2002 | Ed | Mr. Walzer | Episode: "Human Nature" |
| 2002–2005 | Law & Order: Criminal Intent | A.D.A. Stillman / Fred Martz | 2 episodes |
| 2003 | Queens Supreme | Episode: "The Eyes Have It" | |
| 2006 | Kidnapped | Mancini | Episode: "Number One with a Bullet" |
| 2007–2009 | Gossip Girl | Mr. Prescott | 4 episodes |
| 2008 | Wainy Days | Charlie Rose | Episode: "Jonah and the Manilow" |
| 2009 | Kings | Minister Forsythe | 5 episodes |
| 2010 | My Generation | Michael Foster | 2 episodes |
| 2012 | The Good Wife | Lee Tripke | Episode: "Battle of the Proxies" |
| 2013–2017 | House of Cards | Donald Blythe | 17 episodes |
| 2014 | Blue Bloods | Burden Maxwell | Episode: "Manhattan Queens" |
| 2014 | Girls | Peter | Episode: "I Saw You" |
| 2014–2015 | The Blacklist | Tom Connolly | 9 episodes |
| 2015 | American Odyssey | Senator Darnell | 3 episodes |
| 2017 | Madam Secretary | Roland Hobbs | Episode: "Gift Horse" |
| 2017 | The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks | Dr. George Gey | Television film |
| 2018 | Chicago Med | Greg | Episode: "Best Laid Plans" |
| 2018 | The Americans | Patrick McCleesh | 2 episodes |
| 2018 | Titans | Dr. Adamson | 5 episodes |
| 2019 | A Million Little Things | Eugene Bloon | Episode: "The Day Before..." |
| 2019 | High Maintenance | Leonard | Episode: "Cruise" |
| 2019 | Bull | Judge Humphrey | Episode: "Imminent Danger" |
| 2020–2021 | Home Before Dark | Sylvester Lisko | 18 episodes |
| 2021 | The Handmaid's Tale | Lieutenant Stans | Episode: "The Crossing" |
| 2021 | Evil | Father Thunderland | Episode: "I Is for IRS" |
| 2021 | Succession | Vice President Dave Boyer | Episode: "What It Takes" |
| 2023 | Poker Face | Gabriel/Ben | Episode "Time of the Monkey" |
| 2023 | Star Trek: Strange New Worlds | Luq | Episode: "Among the Lotus Eaters" |
| 2024 | American Horror Story: Delicate | Dexter Harding Sr. | 4 episodes |
Theatre
edit| Year | Title | Role | Playwright | Venue | Ref. |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1977 | Gemini | Randy Hastings | Albert Innaurato | Little Theatre, Broadway | [14] |
| 2013 | Picnic | Howard Bevans | William Inge | American Airlines Theatre, Broadway | [15] |
| 2014 | Casa Valentina | Charlotte | Harvey Fierstein | Samuel J. Friedman Theatre, Broadway | [16] |
| 2016 | The Humans | Erik Blake | Stephen Karam | Gerald Schoenfeld Theatre, Broadway | [17] |
| 2017 | 1984 | O'Brien | Robert Icke | Hudson Theatre, Broadway | [18] |
Awards and nominations
edit| Year | Association | Category | Project | Result | Ref |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2011 | Drama Desk Award | Special Drama Desk Award | Won | [19] | |
| 2014 | Tony Award | Best Featured Actor in a Play | Casa Valentina | Nominated | [20] |
| Drama Desk Award | Outstanding Featured Actor in a Play | Won | [21] | ||
| Drama League Award | Distinguished Performance Award | Nominated | [22] | ||
| 2016 | Tony Award | Best Featured Actor in a Play | The Humans | Won | [23] |
| Drama Desk Award | Outstanding Ensemble | Won | [24] | ||
| Outer Critics Circle Award | Outstanding Actor in a Play | Nominated | |||
| Drama League Award | Distinguished Performance Award | Nominated | |||
| 2021 | Gotham Award | Outstanding Supporting Performance | Mass | Nominated | [25] |
| Independent Spirit Award | Robert Altman Award | Nominated | [26] | ||
References
edit- ^ Sod, Ted. "Interview" Archived 2017-04-23 at the Wayback Machine roundabouttheatre.org, October 4, 2015
- ^ Gates, Anita. "At Peter J. Sharp Theater: Actor, Make Like a Tree" The New York Times, October 15, 2009
- ^ "Reed Birney Credits" broadwayworld.com, accessed June 13, 2016
- ^ Isherwood, Charles. "A Fresh Breeze in Pastoral Russia" The New York Times, June 18, 2012
- ^ Lefkowitz, Andy. "The 58th Annual Drama Desk Award Winners Are Announced!" theatermania.com, May 19, 2013
- ^ Viagas, Robert. " 'Hamilton' Tops Tony Awards With 11 Wins" Playbill, June 12, 2016
- ^ "Reed Birney Bio" broadwayworld.com, accessed June 13, 2016
- ^ a b c "Reed Birney" Archived 2016-12-22 at the Wayback Machine columbia.edu, accessed June 13, 2016
- ^ "Reed Birney Broadway" Playbill, accessed June 13, 2016
- ^ Clement, Olivia. " 'Man from Nebraska 'Opens at Second Stage" Playbill, February 15, 2017
- ^ "'House of Cards’ Star Reed Birney Endures ‘Quiet Desperation’ in ‘Mad Women’" Archived 2020-11-24 at the Wayback Machine madeinhollywood.tv, July 22, 2015
- ^ Borison, Susan. "Actors Constance Shulman and Reed Birney Talk Parenting" Your Teen, retrieved June 8, 2018
- ^ "The Lost Weekend (Short 2019)". IMDb. Retrieved 29 April 2023.
- ^ "Gemini (Broadway, 1977)". Playbill. Retrieved April 15, 2024.
- ^ "Picnic (Broadway, 2013)". Playbill. Retrieved April 15, 2024.
- ^ "Casa Valentina (Broadway, 2014)". Playbill. Retrieved April 15, 2024.
- ^ "The Humans (Broadway, 2016)". Playbill. Retrieved April 15, 2024.
- ^ "1984 (Broadway, 2017)". April 15, 2024.
- ^ "PEOPLE WHO MAKE THEATRE: REED BIRNEY". HBstudio. 3 July 2014. Retrieved April 15, 2024.
- ^ "2014 Tony Awards Nominees". American Theatre Wing. Retrieved April 15, 2024.
- ^ "2014 Annual Drama Desk Awards Nominations Announced; Gentleman's Guide Earns 12 Nominations". Playbill. Retrieved April 15, 2024.
- ^ "Drama League Awards Nominations: Jessica Lange, Lupita Nyong'o, Jesse Tyler Ferguson and Lots More (FULL LIST)". Variety. 20 April 2016. Retrieved April 15, 2024.
- ^ "2016 Tony Awards Nominees". American Theatre Wing. Retrieved April 15, 2024.
- ^ "Drama Desk Nominations: 'She Loves Me,' 'American Psycho' Earn Most Nods (FULL LIST)". Variety. 28 April 2016. Retrieved April 15, 2024.
- ^ Lewis, Hilary (October 21, 2021). "Gotham Awards: The Lost Daughter, Passing Lead Nominations". The Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved October 21, 2021.
- ^ MASS wins the Robert Altman Award at the 2022 Spirit Awards. - Film Independent on YouTube